The Travis Kelce drama was all for nothing

One of the biggest NFL storylines of the offseason was whether superstar tight end Travis Kelce would retire or return to the team for another season. It was a question that had significant implications not just for the NFL but for the entertainment industry as well, given Kelce’s relationship with Taylor Swift and his budding acting career.

As it turns out, it sounds like there was never really a question about whether or not he would be returning.

Kelce’s formal decision dragged out for well over a month following the completion of the NFL season. As late as March 2, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that Kelce’s future was “still very much up in the air,” and it was not clear whether or not he would return. There were even some reports that Kelce was considering playing for another team.

On March 9, Kelce finally announced that he would be returning to the team for another season, ending the weeks of rumors, reports, and speculation. However, it sounds like a decision was made long before then, and there was no real drama at all.

During a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach revealed that he and the team knew almost immediately that Kelce would be returning for another season.

“We played our last game of the season in Vegas last year, and when we got back we have player meetings and exit interviews,” Veach told McAfee. “It was a cool deal where Trav came in and he basically said ‘I’m going to take a few weeks off here, but I’m not going out like this, let’s stay in touch and let’s figure something out.’”

So while fans and media might not have known what Kelce was planning to do, the Chiefs certainly did, and were able to prepare accordingly.

“We certainly knew ahead of time,” Veach said. “While free agency and there was still some questions in the air on whether or not he’d return, we knew basically the day after our last game. He made it known to coach Reid and to me that there was no way he was going out like this.”

Kelce played it up like he had not made his decision and waited weeks before ultimately confirming his return to the team, but it sounds like there was never really a question about whether or not he’d be back and where he would be playing, despite what any of the headlines said.